Principal Design Engineer

Prattwhitney; Wolverhampton; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual leave

Pension plan

Private medical insurance

Life assurance

Employee discounts

Job summary

Collins Aerospace in Wolverhampton seeks a Principal Design Engineer to lead conceptual and detail design for electric actuation systems across the product lifecycle. You will provide design authority to a multidisciplinary team, from requirements capture through manufacture and in-service support.

You will mentor junior engineers, drive design reviews, align with the technology roadmap, and collaborate with customers, suppliers and internal teams to deliver robust, cost-effective solutions.

Qualifications

• Degree in Mechanical Engineering
• Demonstrated experience in a design engineering environment
• Knowledge of machine design and electro-mechanical equipment configurations
• Experience leading generation of innovative design concepts for mechanical/electro-mechanical systems
• Proven problem-solving ability
• Experience in supporting failure investigations
• Excellent written and oral communication skills across audiences
• Ability to work effectively within multidisciplinary engineering teams
• Passion for design engineering and excellence

Responsibilities

• Lead generation of innovative design concepts and configurations for electro-mechanical actuation systems
• Provide technical leadership to design engineering teams
• Review and approve design deliverables
• Support all stages of the product lifecycle from requirements to production
• Ensure compliance with design processes and programme requirements
• Develop optimised solutions balancing performance, weight, cost, and manufacturability
• Lead design reviews and present technical solutions to stakeholders
• Collaborate with customers, suppliers and internal teams to resolve engineering challenges
• Mentor junior engineers and support technology roadmap development

Job description

Collins Aerospace is a global leader in technologically advanced and intelligent solutions for the aerospace and defence industry. This is an exciting new role within Collins and a unique opportunity to be part the ASG electric thrust reverser actuation centre of excellence, working as part of a team of technical innovators in the development of new technologies to position the business for success on next generation of aerospace nacelle electric actuation.

The position will be located within a new bespoke facility in Wolverhampton. Reporting to the ASG‑UK Site Lead – Chief Engineer, you will provide technical leadership and design authority for the development of electric actuation systems and associated subsystems, supporting programmes from concept through to production and in-service support.

What You Will Do As a Principal Design Engineer, you shall be responsible for conceptual & detail design support, maintaining and developing the design integrity of products within a multi-disciplinary Engineering team to support the design and development phase for electric actuation and associated subsystems. In this varied role you will be responsible for providing design support, guidance and leadership at all stages of the design process from initial requirements capture and proposal preparation, through detail design to manufacture and qualification. Quality of Design deliverables, adherence to procedures and knowledge of aircraft actuation equipment are key to the role. Responsibility extends across the entire life cycle of the product, from conceptualizing and design, to prototyping and manufacturing, integration and verification testing, through production support. You will support new business opportunities and develop key customer relationships. You will also support the development of the engineering strategy, including a technology roadmap and new business opportunities.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Leading the generation of innovative design concepts and configurations for electro-mechanical actuation systems
• Providing technical leadership and direction to design engineering teams
• Reviewing and approving design engineering deliverables
• Supporting all stages of the product lifecycle, from requirements capture and proposal development through detailed design, manufacture, qualification, and production support
• Ensuring compliance with design processes, engineering standards, and programme requirements
• Developing optimised solutions that balance performance, weight, cost, manufacturability, and robustness
• Leading design reviews and presenting technical solutions to customers and stakeholders
• Working closely with customers, suppliers, and internal teams to resolve complex engineering challenges
• Ensuring correct integration and installation of products within wider actuation systems
• Overseeing the production of manufacturing data packages, engineering drawings, and tolerance analyses
• Supporting risk identification, mitigation planning, and design assurance activities
• Leading problem-solving activities throughout development, qualification, production, and in-service phases
• Providing engineering oversight for project planning and execution of design work packages
• Mentoring and developing junior engineers, graduates, and placement students
• Supporting technology roadmap development and future capability growth
• Leading failure investigations and corrective action activities
• Collaborating with global engineering teams to drive continuous improvement and share best practices

The role will be based in a new Collins Aerospace facility in Wolverhampton, UK, with <20% international travel.

What You Must Have

• Degree in Mechanical Engineering or equivalent engineering qualification
• Demonstrated experience in a design engineering environment
• Knowledge of machine design, electro-mechanical equipment product configurations.
• Experience of leading the generation of innovative design concepts for mechanical or electro-mechanical systems throughout the product lifecycle
• Proven ability for problem solving.
• Experience in supporting failure investigations.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills to a wide range of audiences.
• Ability to work effectively within multidisciplinary engineering teams
• A passion for design engineering, self-development and excellence within a team.

Desirable Experience

• Experience using CATIA
• Experience using Teamcenter PLM systems

What We Offer

• Competitive salary and package
• 25 days annual leave, plus public holidays plus the option to buy / sell up to 5 days per year
• Generous Employer Contribution Pension Scheme with 2:1 matched contributions up to 10%
• Private Medical Insurance Health & Wellbeing Cash Plan - (dental/optical/therapy/chiropody/health screening)
• Life Assurance & Group Income protection scheme participation
• Employee Discounts & Flexible Benefits platform?
• Support with professional fees
• Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)
• Employee recognition schemes
• Opportunities for professional development and career growth and so much more!

Onsite: Employees who are working in Onsite roles will work primarily onsite. This includes all production and maintenance employees, as they are essential to the development of our products.

Please note that potential candidates will be subject to Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) and background checks.

RTX adheres to the principles of equal employment. All qualified applications will be given careful consideration without regard to ethnicity, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation or identity, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law.

RTX is an aerospace and defense company that provides advanced systems and services for commercial, military and government customers worldwide. It comprises three industry-leading businesses – Collins Aerospace, Pratt & Whitney, and Raytheon. Its 195,000 employees enable the company to operate at the edge of known science as they imagine and deliver solutions that push the boundaries in quantum physics, electric propulsion, directed energy, hypersonics, avionics and cybersecurity. The company, formed in 2020 through the combination of Raytheon Company and the United Technologies Corporation aerospace businesses, is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia.